High school hockey: Lake Catholic's Luke Turk has been constant in 'Cardiac Cougars' narrative

Four days before its first state hockey final four appearance in school history, Lake Catholic was the lone tenant of Mentor Civic Arena on March 3, working on a shootout drill during its practice slot on a bitterly cold evening.
Once the players scored, they took a seat in front of the bench.
Luke Turk was one of the first to find the back of the net.
As an original Cardiac Cougar, big goals are nothing new.
The last big goal of Turk’s high school career awaits this weekend, as Lake (27-8-3) will take on St. Ignatius in a state semifinal at 4 p.m. March 7 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
If any reinforcement was needed as to how much the senior forward wanted this trip, one look at the biography space under his Twitter handle — which he filled in months ago — says it all.
“We had one big goal at the beginning of this year, which was to win state,” Turk said. “I just thought it would be kind of clever to say, ‘2 hours and 44 minutes from Nationwide Arena.’ And I’m fortunate to be going down there this weekend.”
He has also been fortunate to play a key role in the making of the Cardiac Cougars’ legend — comeback wins on big stages.
In 2011, with Turk getting valuable ice time as a freshman, Lake made a Baron Cup I final run that included come-from-behind victories over Strongsville and St. Ignatius.
Against the Wildcats, the Cougars trailed, 3-0, in the second period before storming back with three goals to force overtime. In the extra session, Turk was involved in the biggest goal of his career to that point.
“It was awesome being on that Baron Cup team, the Cardiac Cougars — being the original Cardiac Cougars,” Turk said. “The Ignatius game was very special for me, especially because I almost went to Ignatius. I stuck with Lake, and I don’t regret it one bit.
“My linemates, Anthony Nalipa and Andrew Mitch, we were cycling it down low. Mitch got it below the net, and he saw me coming around the circle. He gave it to me. I got a one-timer off and went five-hole.”
Fast forward to the last two weeks of Turk’s high school career, and not much has changed in that sense. He scored the lone goal in a 1-0 Kent District semifinal win over Walsh Jesuit — an ambitious but well-placed look on his backhand from the top of the zone.
Three days later, locked in triple overtime against longtime area rival University in the Kent District final, Turk had the assist on Alex Piazza’s game-winner in a wild 5-4 victory. It capped perhaps the best all-around game of Turk’s career, during which he set the tone with his physicality and long shifts in a busy night as Lake played a short bench.
“When I came in, everybody talked about his playmaking — his patience for the game,” Lake coach Ryan Okicki said. “The biggest thing that has developed is his hands have really come a long way. He’s become a really true goal scorer. Everyone talked about how patient he is, how he can slide the puck across.
“This year, he has just done everything right.”
Including the transition from football to hockey. Much like former Cougars multi-sport standout Tommy Michals before him, Turk has to adapt from the gridiron — where he is a two-year starting safety and a running back — to the rink.
“Being a hockey and football player, it’s a rare breed,” Turk said. “It’s a unique thing. I like to say that I am.”
Hockey, though, has always been particularly special.
“When I was younger, we lived in a different house and my dad, he actually made a rink,” Turk said. “It was awesome. I just had the team over, and we’d always be playing.
“When we moved (to Concord Township), I was fortunate to have a pond in my backyard — an actual pond. So me and my dad (Greg) are always up late at night, shoveling it and watering it. It’s a great team bonding experience, having the whole team over. My dad would wake me up in the morning and give me passes before school.”
Time passes fast — from that time on the frozen pond, to that memorable February at Baron Cup I, and now to where he publicly aspired on Twitter — 2 hours and 44 minutes from Columbus.
The big ice awaits, on which he hopes an original Cardiac Cougar can author one more chapter in that enthralling narrative.
“There’s a lot of exciting things going on — around the school, with the team,” Turk said. “We’re getting our itinerary for Columbus, and all the kids are pumped for that. All the kids at school, they’re getting ready to come down and cheer us on.
“It’s just a very special time for us.”